Guest Travel Blog --- Venice by Tina Hartas of Trip Fiction

Thank you once again for Tina Hartas of Trip Fiction, for writing a book and travel piece for me based on Venice, Italy. Welcome again Tina.

Venice - Italy



Image courtesy of cescassawin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 The Lagoon City, canals, vaporetti, gondolas and a multitude of campi and calle to explore. Venice is a true wonder to behold, the city of romance, the colours always changing on the crumbling facades, from russet, through to pink and to ochre, reflecting the iridescent waters; and as the sun sets, time to find an aperitivo and cicchetti (nibbles) and enjoy the thrum of the city. The boats and vaporetti chug past, the narrow alleyways reverberate with ghostly voices and the sloshing of the water is always present.

Arrival by train is awe inspiring, across a long bridge over the water, right into the Northern heart of the city. By plane too, visitors can enjoy the boat ride and arrive at St Mark’s Square, much as historical figures must have done. History is everywhere, the figures of great characters still haunt the small streets, and the faded grandeur still holds its allure.

Image courtesy of federico stevanin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As a visitor to this great city, we can enjoy the visual spectacle, feel the heat rise from the brittle facades in the heat of the midday sun, or experience the Acqua Alta, as the floodwaters regularly overwhelm the city. Nothing is ever static and nothing is as it seems….

On a visit a couple of years ago, whilst enjoying a Caffè Grande in a side street, reading a novel set in Venice, I was charmed to look up and observe the exact same scene that had just been described in the novel. That novel was by Donna Leon, the Queen of detective fiction and it just brought Venice to life in a wonderful way. Imagine hearing the birds careening over the rooftops and seeing that so well described in words; watch a gondola glide past and imagine her main character Guido Brunetti observing the very same thing; taste the wonderful food on offer, and then see it conjured up on the detective’s own table. It is a fascinating and intimate way of getting to know a city. And if you would like to explore the city a little further through the eyes of an author, this link brings together a couple of Donna Leon novels: http://tripfiction.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/Donna-Leon-brings-Venice-to-life.html

When we hear of friends going to the city, the book we always press into their hands is City of Falling Angels by John Berendt http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/177 which chronicles life behind closed doors – the bit that tourists don’t necessarily get to see – as the people and the machinery of political life grinds into gear after the fire at the opera house, La Fenice. A wonderful insight into the city.

And one final book we would suggest to transport you to the city, in gentle yet full technicolour glory is: http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/249

Thank you Tina. Venice sounds beautiful. I'm off now to look up Donna Leon novels, not having read any before.



 

 

Guest Travel Blog - Summer Travels in Switzerland with Tina Hartas

Welcome to another guest blogger. This time its the turn of Tina Hartas from the great blog site "Trip Fiction". She is showcasing the beautiful, mysterious country of Switzerland. Tina's blog hosts numerous books with a travel theme. If you, like me, loves travel and books, you'll love it.

Hello Tina and thanks for joining us :)

 

SUMMER TRAVELS IN SWITZERLAND

Last Summer we based ourselves in the small resort town of Leukerbad, Valais, just off the Rhone Valley, a couple of hours from Geneva airport and situated at 1300M to over 2000M. We used this is our base to travel around Switzerland, and it proved to be a real eye-opening and positive trip.

To start with, we were amazed by the glorious weather. We discovered that many of the little places dotted around the country have their own little micro-climates and have as many days annual sunshine as resorts along the Mediterranean coast, which is really astounding. In fact, Leukerbad’s tiny neighbouring village, Albinen, is the sunniest place in the whole of Switzerland.  Thus, in the Summer months it can be wonderfully hot during the day, yet cool at night. It might still be snowy on the peaks yet it is truly resplendent with lush meadows at lower altitudes (absolute eye candy).

Leukerbad has year round thermal baths, and believe me, there is nothing more delightful than lying in a bubbling pool, outside, looking at beautiful scenery (of which, of course, there is lots!) and having all the stresses and strains soothed away by hot swirling waters.

Thermal Baths at Leukerbad

From Leukerbad we moseyed down into the valley and picked up the Glacier Express which trundles over to St Moritz, and again, the scenery is stunning, truly chocolate box, and truly Alpine.

During our meanderings across the country, mainly using the Swiss Rail System, we never actually came across an actual Alphorn, but the Swiss are clearly hugely proud of tradition: they use Alphorns and weathered old men in Alpine gear  (yes, Lederhosen and Badger Brush hats and oftentimes sitting alongside huge truckles of cheese) in many of the advertisements up and down the rail system. And the railways are, of course, super efficient, (unless the train originates in Italy, and then it can be a very different story, as the Swiss like to impress upon you!).

Leukerbad

The Italian part of Switzerland is a dream, hot and palm fringed in Lugano, or beautifully olde worlde. with Italianate style in Locarno. Going north, there is Lucerne, with its old bridge, the Kapellbrücke (which incidentally is the most visited monument in Switzerland, and is a delight, particularly when it is garlanded with fragrant flowers and lit up at night); and Zurich, which is a low-key, world city, with a fabulous art gallery and easy living along the lake and river (the Bahnhofstrasse is the most expensive shopping street in the whole of Europe, apparently).

The downside at the moment is, of course, that Switzerland isn’t the cheapest location on the tourist trail. However, the supermarkets are on a par with pricing in other European countries and the rail system offers discounts to tourists, so a visit doesn’t have to break the bank. And for our own trip-planning we found www.SwitzerlandTravelCentre.co.uk to be really helpful with suggestions and booking.

As a really wonderful add-on to any destination - and of course this is the raison d'être for TripFiction www.tripfiction.com -  we always take a couple of books that enhance our trip (in addition to travel guides) that are set in and evocative of location and these books can add a really new and interesting perspective on the locale. This time we took an eclectic selection:

The Chef by Martin Suter, set in Zurich and St Moritz http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/2759

 

 

 

 

Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/223

 

Swisswatching by Diccon Bewes http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/293

Swisswatching is a particularly great book to take with you on a visit to Switzerland, the author has a wonderful style, and he really introduces his readers to his adopted country, with historical, factual and some very quirky and interesting insights (you will note, for example – as we can attest – that a high proportion of women in this small land-locked country wear red shoes…go figure. Is it patriotism to the Swiss red flag, an attempt to escape from conformity, perhaps….? Many theories abound…)

 

Thank you Tina for a great blog post. I'm sure that will have tempted many to want to make the journey to this beautiful country.